Labour will scrap tuition fees if they win the general election

Published on 10 May 2017

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has pledged to scrap university tuition fees if his party is elected to government in next month’s general election. The fees, which can currently cost up to £9,250 a year, prohibit many from even entertaining the thought of attending university and severely hinder opportunities for social mobility, something that all the UK’s political parties claim to have a vested interest in promoting.

McDonnell spoke of a National Education Service that mimicked the NHS, providing education at the point of need throughout life as well as promising to end cuts to pre-existing services and to ensure that childcare was free of charge for all those wishing to study.

Subsequent interviews with Labour representatives have yet to confirm that such plans would appear in the party’s manifesto, though the stance aligns with Labour’s consistent promises to create a fairer country under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

The promise will also reinforce Labour’s wealth of support amongst students, of whom 55% are said to support the party.

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